The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is warning Chattanooga area residents of a new phone scam involving imposters claiming to be HCSO detectives, according to a news release.
The callers are spoofing actual numbers used by the HCSO and are also claiming to be agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Social Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service. The scammers then tell victims they are under investigation for crimes and use fear, intimidation and coercion in demanding the victim wire money to a specified bank account or face arrest and/or prosecution, the release states.
The HCSO says that no law enforcement agency will ever ask anyone to wire money to a bank account and that citizens should never give personal information over the phone if you cannot confirm the caller or agency's identity.
The report of the scam was received on Friday and has been confirmed by the HCSO Criminal Investigation Division, according to the release.
Victims of a scam should notify their local law enforcement agency. You can report fraud in Tennessee here.